ANC, DA retain two Cape ward seats
THE ANC in the Western Cape retained a seat at a crucial by-election in ward 38 in Nyanga on Wednesday, while the DA retained its seat at a by-election in Ward 17 in the Drakenstein Municipality.
The vacancies were caused by the resignation of ward councillors.
The ANC's head of communications, Sifiso Mtsweni, said the party was showing slow but steady improvement. “In ward 38 in the City of Cape Town, we won with 63% of the vote. Slowly but surely people on the ground are feeling the impact of our programme on renewal, unity and rebuilding of the ANC in the province,” he said. “Since the local government elections in 2021, we have shown slow but steady improvement in the by-elections contested.
“We are laying a solid organisational foundation for the 2024 and 2026 elections.
“What remains clear is that an election victory must be based on strong and active ANC branches that are consistently focused on bread-and-butter issues facing our people, including the fight against poverty, unemployment, inequality, gender-based violence and femicide, as well as crime. Our members are beginning to pull together in unity,” said Mtsweni.
GOOD secretary-general and member of Parliament Brett Herron said a decline in ANC voter numbers in ward 38 was a reflection of voters' disappointment with the party. The GOOD party increased its support from 5.02% votes in the 2021 Local Government Elections, to 17.11% on Wednesday.
“The results reflect the disappointment of so many South Africans in the quality of government over the past 25 years. Last year's Local Government Elections yielded significant declines for both the ANC and DA, and this trend will continue,” he said.
“The DA, despite access to endless funding, and being the incumbent government in the City of Cape Town, has failed to take advantage – indicating its continuing struggle to shed its badge of privilege and convince township voters of its integrity,” Herron said. The DA retained a ward in Drakenstein with 797 votes, and received 553 votes in Nyanga.
DA Provincial leader Tertuis Simmers said: “The DA in the Western Cape is extremely proud of its performance in both the ward 17 by-election in Drakenstein, and ward 38 in Nyanga.”